Release: Muddle & Mo’s Rainy Day

Media Release:
Nikki Slade Robinson

Muddle & Mo’s Rainy Day.

Once upon a time there was a little duckling that needed a home. It wandered into the first doorway it came to – that of Cheddar Valley Pottery adjacent to Ohiwa Harbour. The pottery is owned by the parents of author-illustrator Nikki Slade Robinson. They handed the duckling to Nikki. Coincidentally she had just taken in a little goat kid of a similar age.

The following days and weeks were a mix of warm bottles of milk, hot water bottles and digging up worms. The little goat had a warm hut insulated with giant pink bubblewrap, and the little duck had a snuggly little cardboard box. At night the little duck would join in listening to bedtime stories, though he had to sit on a cloth nappy given his frequent ‘accidents’. And everyone was happy!

The unlikely duck-and-goat pair inspired Nikki to create a series of picture books, beginning with ‘Muddle & Mo’, which released in 2016. The title went on to gain a Storylines Notable Book Award, as well as being picked up by a major North American publisher, and publishers for China, Australia and the UK. ‘Muddle & Mo’s Worm Surprise’ followed in 2017, and releasing in May is the third in the series: ‘Muddle & Mo’s Rainy Day’.

‘The opposites between our Duckie and Moon (our goat) – that is – big and little, black and white, feathered and furred, is what sparked my ideas off.’ said Nikki. ‘The books are really about friendship across differences. To appreciate and celebrate diversity, and just get on with each other.’

‘Muddle & Mo’s Rainy Day’ is timed well for those approaching wetter winter months. ‘Our goat hates the rain,’ said Nikki, ‘and ducks don’t seem phased by a bit of wet weather. Watching Moon peer out of his shed, looking decidedly unimpressed at a rainy day, was where this latest book started.’

In this new story, Muddle works his charm, convincing Mo to give a wet day a chance. There is a wee bribe of an ‘extra-special Muddle-cuddle’. Mo discovers a bit of rain isn’t so bad after all!

‘Muddle & Mo’s Rainy Day’ releases mid-May and will be available through all bookshops and online. It follows hot on the heels of Nikki’s previous title ‘Weka’s Waiata’ which released in April. To see more about the real Muddle and Mo, visit Nikki’s facebook page Nikki Slade Robinson: Illustrator/Author.

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